---
title: Observability for n8n with Opik
description: Start here to integrate Opik into your n8n-based workflow automation for end-to-end LLM observability.
---

[n8n](https://n8n.io) is a powerful workflow automation platform that allows you to connect various services and automate tasks through a visual interface. With the `n8n-observability` package, you can automatically trace workflow executions and node operations using OpenTelemetry.

<Warning>
  This integration only works with **self-hosted n8n** installations. It is not compatible with n8n Cloud.
</Warning>

<Frame>
  <img src="/img/tracing/n8n_integration.png" alt="n8n tracing in Opik" />
</Frame>

## Features

- 🔍 **Automatic tracing** of workflow executions and individual node operations
- 📊 **Standard OpenTelemetry** instrumentation using the official Node.js SDK
- 🎯 **Zero-code setup** via n8n's hook system
- 🔌 **OTLP compatible** - works with Opik's OpenTelemetry endpoint
- ⚙️ **Configurable** I/O capture, node filtering, and more

## Account Setup

[Comet](https://www.comet.com/site?from=llm&utm_source=opik&utm_medium=colab&utm_content=n8n&utm_campaign=opik) provides a hosted version of the Opik platform. [Simply create an account](https://www.comet.com/signup?from=llm&utm_source=opik&utm_medium=colab&utm_content=n8n&utm_campaign=opik) and grab your API Key.

> You can also run the Opik platform locally, see the [installation guide](https://www.comet.com/docs/opik/self-host/overview/?from=llm&utm_source=opik&utm_medium=colab&utm_content=n8n&utm_campaign=opik) for more information.

## Quick Start with Docker

The fastest way to get started is with Docker Compose:

```bash
# Clone and navigate to the example
git clone https://github.com/comet-ml/n8n-observability.git
cd n8n-observability/examples/docker-compose

# Set your Opik API key (get one free at https://www.comet.com/signup)
export OPIK_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# Build and run
docker-compose up --build
```

Open http://localhost:5678, create a workflow, and see traces in your [Opik dashboard](https://www.comet.com)!

## Setup Options

### Docker (Recommended)

Create a custom Dockerfile that installs the `n8n-observability` package globally:

```dockerfile
FROM n8nio/n8n:latest

USER root
RUN npm install -g n8n-observability

ENV EXTERNAL_HOOK_FILES=/usr/local/lib/node_modules/n8n-observability/dist/hooks.cjs

USER node
```

Then configure your docker-compose.yml with OTLP settings:

<Tabs>
    <Tab value="Opik Cloud" title="Opik Cloud">
        ```yaml
        services:
          n8n:
            build: .
            environment:
              OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT: "https://www.comet.com/opik/api/v1/private/otel"
              OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS: "Authorization=${OPIK_API_KEY},Comet-Workspace=default"
              N8N_OTEL_SERVICE_NAME: "my-n8n"
            volumes:
              - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
            ports:
              - "5678:5678"

        volumes:
          n8n_data:
        ```

        <Tip>
            To log the traces to a specific project, you can add the
            `projectName` parameter to the `OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS`
            environment variable:

            ```yaml
            OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS: "Authorization=${OPIK_API_KEY},Comet-Workspace=default,projectName=my-n8n-project"
            ```
        </Tip>
    </Tab>
    <Tab value="Enterprise deployment" title="Enterprise deployment">
        ```yaml
        services:
          n8n:
            build: .
            environment:
              OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT: "https://<comet-deployment-url>/opik/api/v1/private/otel"
              OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS: "Authorization=${OPIK_API_KEY},Comet-Workspace=default"
              N8N_OTEL_SERVICE_NAME: "my-n8n"
            volumes:
              - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
            ports:
              - "5678:5678"

        volumes:
          n8n_data:
        ```
    </Tab>
    <Tab value="Self-hosted instance" title="Self-hosted instance">
        ```yaml
        services:
          n8n:
            build: .
            environment:
              OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT: "http://localhost:5173/api/v1/private/otel"
              OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS: "projectName=my-n8n-project"
              N8N_OTEL_SERVICE_NAME: "my-n8n"
            volumes:
              - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
            ports:
              - "5678:5678"

        volumes:
          n8n_data:
        ```
    </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Bare Metal / npm

If you're running n8n directly on your machine:

```bash
# Install globally
npm install -g n8n-observability
```

Then set the required environment variables:

<Tabs>
    <Tab value="Opik Cloud" title="Opik Cloud">
        ```bash wordWrap
        export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=https://www.comet.com/opik/api/v1/private/otel
        export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS='Authorization=<your-api-key>,Comet-Workspace=default'
        export N8N_OTEL_SERVICE_NAME=my-n8n
        export EXTERNAL_HOOK_FILES=$(npm root -g)/n8n-observability/dist/hooks.cjs

        # Start n8n
        n8n start
        ```
    </Tab>
    <Tab value="Enterprise deployment" title="Enterprise deployment">
        ```bash wordWrap
        export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=https://<comet-deployment-url>/opik/api/v1/private/otel
        export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS='Authorization=<your-api-key>,Comet-Workspace=default'
        export N8N_OTEL_SERVICE_NAME=my-n8n
        export EXTERNAL_HOOK_FILES=$(npm root -g)/n8n-observability/dist/hooks.cjs

        # Start n8n
        n8n start
        ```
    </Tab>
    <Tab value="Self-hosted instance" title="Self-hosted instance">
        ```bash
        export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:5173/api/v1/private/otel
        export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS='projectName=my-n8n-project'
        export N8N_OTEL_SERVICE_NAME=my-n8n
        export EXTERNAL_HOOK_FILES=$(npm root -g)/n8n-observability/dist/hooks.cjs

        # Start n8n
        n8n start
        ```
    </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Configuration

The following environment variables can be used to configure the integration:

| Variable | Purpose | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT` | OTLP exporter endpoint | — |
| `OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS` | OTLP headers (e.g., auth tokens) | — |
| `N8N_OTEL_SERVICE_NAME` | Service name for telemetry | `n8n` |
| `N8N_OTEL_NODE_INCLUDE` | Only trace listed nodes (comma-separated) | — |
| `N8N_OTEL_NODE_EXCLUDE` | Exclude listed nodes (comma-separated) | — |
| `N8N_OTEL_CAPTURE_INPUT` | Capture node input data | `true` |
| `N8N_OTEL_CAPTURE_OUTPUT` | Capture node output data | `true` |
| `N8N_OTEL_AUTO_INSTRUMENT` | Enable HTTP/Express instrumentation | `false` |
| `N8N_OTEL_METRICS` | Enable metrics collection | `false` |
| `N8N_OTEL_DEBUG` | Enable debug logging | `false` |
| `EXTERNAL_HOOK_FILES` | Path to hooks.cjs (set automatically) | — |

### Node Filtering

You can filter which nodes are traced using environment variables:

```bash
# Only trace specific nodes
export N8N_OTEL_NODE_INCLUDE="OpenAI,HTTP Request"

# Exclude noisy nodes
export N8N_OTEL_NODE_EXCLUDE="Wait,Set"

# Disable I/O capture for privacy
export N8N_OTEL_CAPTURE_INPUT=false
export N8N_OTEL_CAPTURE_OUTPUT=false
```

## What Gets Tracked

### Workflow Spans

Each workflow execution creates a span with the following attributes:

- `n8n.workflow.id` - Workflow ID
- `n8n.workflow.name` - Workflow name
- `n8n.span.type` - `"workflow"`

### Node Spans

Each node operation creates a span with:

- `n8n.node.type` - Node type (e.g., `n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest`)
- `n8n.node.name` - Node name
- `n8n.span.type` - `"llm"`, `"prompt"`, `"evaluation"`, or undefined
- `n8n.node.input` - JSON input (if capture enabled)
- `n8n.node.output` - JSON output (if capture enabled)
- `gen_ai.system` - AI provider (e.g., `openai`, `anthropic`)
- `gen_ai.request.model` - Model name (e.g., `gpt-4`)

## Verify Installation

Check that the package is installed correctly:

```bash
node -e "console.log(require.resolve('n8n-observability/hooks'))"
```

On startup, you should see logs similar to:

```
[otel-setup] OpenTelemetry initialized: my-n8n (OTLP export enabled, n8n spans only)
[n8n-observability] observability ready and patches applied
```

## Further Improvements

If you would like to see us improve this integration, please open a new feature
request on [GitHub](https://github.com/comet-ml/opik/issues).

For issues specific to the n8n-observability package, visit the [n8n-observability repository](https://github.com/comet-ml/n8n-observability).

